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THIS IS WHY YOUR NEXT FAMILY HOLIDAY SHOULD BE A CRUISE

22.9.15

If you have never considered booking a cruise for your family holiday, then now is the time to start. With cruise deals making this type of holiday affordable, and ships becoming floating holiday resorts, your children will be over the moon if you choose to book a cruise.

What you can expect when you are on board

Fun, fun and a bit more fun. There is much more to a cruise ship than simply getting you from one destination to another. Even small cruise ships have entertainment for both adults and children of all ages. The larger ships also often have swimming pools and water slides, arcades, casinos, children’s clubs and play areas. Most ships will also have a choice of places to eat and live entertainment. There really is no reason for anyone to get bored.

What you can expect when you are on land

Choosing your cruise itinerary is important because although the ship will be fantastic, you will also spend a fair amount of time on land. You can usually choose whether you would like to explore the countries you stop over in by yourself, in which it's helpful to research beforehand what things there are to see and do when your ships docks for the day.

Alternatively, you can book excursions when you book your cruise. These excursions will be designed with cruising holiday makers in mind and so will fit in with the schedule of your ship, and enable you to make the most of the time you are in port.

Why are cruises great for families?

Cruises used to be seen as the type of holiday that only the rich and famous would go on, but now they are very much aimed at families. And this is for three main reasons:

Toddlers go free

Many companies offer cruise deals such as free places to anyone under the age of two. So if you have one, or more kids under the age of two, a cruise could work out as a very cheap holiday for you all.

Lots included in the price

Taking children on holiday can be stressful if there's not enough activities to keep them occupied, or you're paying through the nose for things to see, do and buy to keep them happy during long days. When you book a cruise, a lot of the entertainment, activities and food and drink are included in the price you pay. This means when you are on board the ship your kids can do a lot without you having to find more money.

Every cruise is an adventure

Going on a cruise is not like a regular holiday. You get to explore a different country every time the ship docks and there are often cruises that visit islands owned by cruise companies that you would never get to see otherwise. For children (and most adults) the excitement of the onboard lifestyle, and then regularly arriving somewhere new never gets old.

A cruise will definitely live up to your expectations. If you want excitement, a touch of luxury and adventure, then all you need to decide on is which countries you want to visit so you can start building your perfect itinerary.

Have you ever been on a cruise or is it something on your bucket list of things to do?

* This is a collaborative post. For details on how I work with brands take a look at my work with me page. Images by Travis Wise and Idreamlikecrazy used under the Creative Commons license.

I went on a couple of cruises as a child/teen and remember absolutely loving it. I really want to take my family on a cruise one of these days. Its definitely something everyone should try at least once I think.

I've never been sold on the whole cruise holiday thing (surrounded by other people who kind of HAVE to befriend so they'll let you on their life boat in case of an emergency is not what my social anxiety needs) but I do love the sea, and you have me thinking about some of the benefits now! x

I would love to go on a cruise holiday but I think I would get to nervous just in case something went wrong! I get anxious like that. Not quite sure why. Maybe I would go for a long weekend but not sure if I could go a week or more. It's great to know that kids can go free on some cruises. Will look into it. x

It looks amazing and it does sound tempting. The only thing that puts me off is the safety aspect - I am paranoid about children and water. But when they are older, it looks like a great way to explore the world.

I would love to experience a cruise although I fear I may get bored. know they have a lot on board though I think being trapped may make me feel limited? Also the thought of being stuck out at sea, eeek! Xx

I love the idea of a cruise as a holiday but I always think that maybe we would get bored. However they are so big these days. I definitely think we will consider it in the future. Thanks for sharing. :)

I have never been on a cruise before. The simplest reason for that is that I'm getting sea sick on it. I have been on boats in the past and couldn't handle it. Now that might have changed. I would love to go on a Disney cruise once chloe is old enough.

Jacek has been on a cruise and would love to go on one again. While I love the idea of being at sea and visiting lots of different countries on one holiday I always worry that I'll get sea sick on the ship!

My partner has always waned to go on a cruise but we always said that it was something that we would do when the children were older and we able to go on holidays on are own. I had no idea there would be so much to do for children and always imagined them to be aimed more at older people xx

Having been on a cruise for honeymoon I can attest to how absolutely amazing they are! like some of the other commenters above I was a bit dubious, but they are absolutely amazing! you're treated like royalty and it feels like a real luxurious holiday. some of my friends have also brought kids and said it was amazing - they had lots of time to themselves. can't wait to save up and go again

Ahhh I love cruises, they are the best holidays in the world!!! I get bored stupid laying on beaches and wasting time, I love how much is always going on every minute of the day with the decent cruise companies! I`ve only been with Royal Caribbean before who are AMAZING, its like a constant party - but sadly they charge full price for children from 6 months so I can basically never go again until theyre grown up lol. But we're trying a P and O cruise to the Fjords next year with the kids, so i`m excited to see how that goes! xx

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I love reading them all and will try my best to answer all of your questions. If you would like to contact me for a quicker response please feel free to tweet me at (@ohsoamelia_blog) or email me. Kerry

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